EXCLUSIVE: 2016 Honda Accord Coupe Spied Undisguised!

Honda's mid-size coupe goes under the knife for 2016.

What It Is: Most manufacturers have abandoned the mid-size-coupe market, but as these exclusive spy photos confirm, Honda is sticking with the Accord coupe. You probably already know this, but alongside the sedan, the two-door Accord is a fixture on Car and Driver’s annual 10Best Cars list.

Why It Matters: The Accord remains a pillar of the Honda brand, but it was last redesigned for 2013—so it’s time for an update. Of course, the Accord sedan accounts for the vast majority of the model’s sales; we’ve already published pictures of the updated 2016 sedan, and now we also snagged the 2016 version of the coupe similarly undisguised.

Platform: The Accord coupe will retain its current platform, which it shares with the sedan. The two-door model, however, rides on a wheelbase that’s 2.0 inches shorter, and the coupe is also 2.2 inches shorter in overall length. For the 2016 update, the Accord coupe is treated to a new grille, headlights, bumpers, and taillamps. Starting up front, we see that the new grille is differentiated from the sedan’s; where the four-door model adds a wide, chrome band spanning the width of the grille, the coupe’s chrome element is slimmer and is punctuated by an air inlet. The coupe’s lower air intake is narrower and now runs across nearly the entire width of the bumper; also new are sleeker, multi-element headlamps. The overall goal seemingly was to amp up the style while creating a greater impression of width. Similarly at the rear, we find a new bumper with a wider license-plate surround, a new full-width crease, more pronounced bracket-shaped elements at the edges, and mildly redesigned lighting units.

Powertrain: Both body styles of Honda’s mid-sizer still offer a choice of a four-cylinder or the increasingly rare option of V-6 power, and the badge on the back of one Accord coupe we spied indicates that the six will continue. We do expect, however, that the Accord will swap out today’s 3.5-liter V-6 for the new direct-injected version that’s found in the 2016 Pilot crossover. In the Pilot, the newer engine pumps out 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, and it’s paired with a nine-speed automatic in the Touring and Elite trim levels. It remains to be seen whether Honda will similarly upgrade the Accord coupe from its six-speed automatic to the nine-speed. We also believe Honda will continue to make available its slick-shifting manual gearbox (another increasingly rare offering) with both the V-6 and the standard 2.4-liter four. The four-cylinder’s CVT automatic is sure to continue.

Estimated Arrival and Price: The 2016 Honda Accord coupe will appear in showrooms this fall. Prices aren’t likely to creep up much higher than those of the current models, which range from $24,595 to $33,370—generally a few hundred dollars more than the equivalent sedan.

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